18 players to start or sit in fantasy football for Week 11

Our fantasy start' em, sit 'em column has had better weeks than Week 11.

After strong outings the previous two weeks, we hit on just eight of 18 picks last week . We missed on players like Kirk Cousins, Jarvis Landry, and Jacob Hollister all having strong outings. Some were not too far off, however Emmanuel Sanders was on his way to solid game before leaving with an injury. Todd Gurley racked up 73 yards, good for 20th on the week, but nothing spectacular.

Oh well. We will try to rebound in Week 11, a week that, frankly, has some good fantasy outlooks for several players. As usual, we try to pick less obvious choices players fantasy owners might be on the cusp of starting or sitting.

Here are out start/sits for fantasy football in Week 11.

START: Tom Brady, QB

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Team: New England Patriots

Week 11 opponent: at Philadelphia Eagles

Why you should start him: Brady and the Patriots are coming off of a bye, and we're betting the week off did the 42-year-old QB some good. The Eagles pass defense has been weak all season, and a rested Brady and an extra week of prep from Bill Belichick should be able to take advantage.

SIT: Carson Wentz, QB

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Team: Philadelphia Eagles

Week 11 opponent: vs. New England Patriots

Why you should sit him: In his last five games, Carson Wentz is just QB16. He's thrown for under 300 yards in four of those five games and only thrown more than one touchdown once in that same span. This week, he gets the vaunted Patriots defense, with deep threat DeSean Jackson out again and Alshon Jeffery hobbling.

START: Derek Carr, QB

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Team: Oakland Raiders

Week 11 opponent: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Why you should start him: Carr has two top-12 finishes in the last three weeks. He has limited volume, having thrown between 28-32 passes every game since Week 3, but it doesn't get easier than a matchup vs. the Bengals at home.

SIT: Kyle Allen, QB

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Team: Carolina Panthers

Week 11 opponent: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Why you should sit him: Some owners may turn to Allen if they're dealing with a QB on a bye week or because he's taking on the Falcons, but beware. Allen has just three touchdowns to five interceptions the last three weeks. All evidence this season suggests the Falcons are a defense to target, but they also shut down Drew Brees and the Saints offense last week. They may have a little more fight in them this season, particularly in a divisional game. Don't expect much from Allen, especially when he has only one top-10 finish this season.

START: Tevin Coleman, RB

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Team: San Francisco 49ers

Week 11 opponent: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Why you should start him: After exploding for 118 yards and 4 touchdowns in Week 8, Coleman has had two quiet weeks, posting just 108 scoreless yards since. However, he should see increased volume this week with both Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert banged up and possibly out for Week 11. Coleman didn't have a good game against Arizona in Week 9, but the 49ers are home this time and he should be able to rebound with the increased touches.

SIT: Phillip Lindsay, RB

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Team: Denver Broncos

Week 11 opponent: at Minnesota Vikings

Why you should sit him: The Vikings have generally shut down opposing run games this season. Lindsay, in a split with Royce Freeman, on the road, with backup quarterback Brandon Allen under center, doesn't have the most promising script. Furthermore, Freeman has been favored in the passing game more than Lindsay, so if the Broncos fall behind, Freeman may get the bulk of the work.

START: Brian Hill, RB

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Team: Atlanta Falcons

Week 11 opponent: at Carolina Panthers

Why you should start him: Hill is starting in place of the injured Devonta Freeman and is in a position to succeed. The Panthers are the worst run defense in DVOA and have allowed a touchdown every 14 carries, according to Mike Tagliere of FantasyPros . Hill got 20 carries last week against the Saints, and if he gets that volume again this week, he should end up with a big day.

SIT: Miles Sanders, RB

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Team: Philadelphia Eagles

Week 11 opponent: vs. New England Patriots

Why you should sit him: Volume is the concern for Sanders. Only once in the last five weeks has he had double-digit carries, and while he's the primary passing back in Philly, he also hasn't topped three receptions or targets since Week 5. He's had some nice fantasy days because of scores or big plays, but when he gets neither, he ends up with days like Week 7 vs. Dallas: 9 touches, 32 yards, 0 TDs. It's possible Jordan Howard gets stuffed by the Patriots, leading to more opportunities for Sanders, but recent games haven't given us a ton of confidence.

START: James White, RB

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Team: New England Patriots

Week 11 opponent: at Philadelphia Eagles

Why you should start him: White has had a consistent floor this year, with 58 or more yards in six of eight games. He has only found the end zone twice, but he remains a favorite target of Tom Brady's. The Eagles have allowed big days to pass-catching backs this year, meaning White could end up with several touches and perhaps another end zone trip this week.

SIT: Adrian Peterson, RB

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Team: Washington Redskins

Week 11 opponent: vs. New York Jets

Why you should sit him: Peterson is RB18 in fantasy scoring from Weeks 6-9. He's seen increased carries under interim head coach Bill Callahan, which is a nice benefit. However, the Jets rank second in run defense DVOA and the return of running back Derrius Guice should eat into Peterson's touches this week.

START: Curtis Samuel, WR

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Team: Carolina Panthers

Week 11 opponent: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Why you should start him: According to FantasyPros, the Falcons are allowing 10.1 yards per target to wide receivers, 31st in the league. That creates a great opportunity for Samuel, who sees plenty of deep targets, but hasn't connected on many. As we warned with Kyle Allen, the Falcons defense is a bit of an unknown, but they didn't exactly shut down the Saints' passing game last week, as Michael Thomas and Jared Cook went for a combined 224 yards. Samuel could end up with a big play this week.

SIT: Juju Smith-Schuster, WR

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Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 11 opponent: at Cleveland Browns

Why you should sit him: We'll admit that Smith-Schuster has been something of a mystery to figure out. He's had good games vs. good defenses and bad games vs. bad defenses. He's had just 60 yards on 6 catches over the last two weeks, and while the Browns aren't the staunchest defense, they do tend to muck up games. On a short week, with the Steelers on the road, Smith--Schuster is something of a dice-roll.

START: Mohamed Sanu, WR

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Team: New England Patriots

Week 11 opponent: at Philadelphia Eagles

Why you should start him: Coming off of a bye, Sanu has had extra time to get to learn the Patriots offense. He now gets a rested Tom Brady throwing him the ball against an Eagles defense that has been vulnerable to deep and outside threats. We like Sanu to have another strong week to follow up on 10 catches, 81 yards, 1 TD against the Ravens in his last game.

SIT: Robert Woods, WR

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Team: Los Angeles Rams

Week 11 opponent: vs. Chicago Bears

Why you should sit him: Woods' targets and catches have varied greatly this season. He has three games of seven or more catches and four games of three or fewer catches. He did well last week in the absence of Brandin Cooks, going for seven catches and 95 yards, but he is yet to find the end zone this season. The Rams may look to get Cooper Kupp more involved after he posted a goose-egg in Week 10, and the Bears pass defense remains strong.

START: Marquise Brown, WR

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Team: Baltimore Ravens

Week 11 opponent: vs. Houston Texans

Why you should start him: Brown is a risky start each week because of a lack of volume, but he has a chance to have a big day in an expected shootout. The Texans shut down the Jaguars offense in London in Week 9, but prior, they were being shredded through the air by the likes of the Raiders, Colts, Chiefs, and Falcons. All it takes is one big play for Brown.

SIT: Robby Anderson, WR

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Team: New York Jets

Week 11 opponent: at Washington Redskins

Why you should sit him: The Anderson breakout doesn't seem to be happening this season. He has just 97 total yards over his last four games. He had a 125-yard explosion in Week 6, but before that, he had back-to-back games of under 20 yards. He simply isn't reliable, even against a Washington defense ranked 25th against the pass.

START: Jared Cook, TE

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Team: New Orleans Saints

Week 11 opponent: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Why you should start him: We called to start Cook last week and he delivered with six catches for 74 yards, a season high. In his last three games, Cook has 152 total yards and 2 touchdowns. This week, he gets the Bucs, who have allowed top-14 finishes against tight ends in eight of nine games. We're rolling with Cook again.

SIT: Kyle Rudolph, TE

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Team: Minnesota Vikings

Week 11 opponent: vs. Denver Broncos

Why you should sit him: Rudolph is TE2 since Week 7, but that's with four touchdowns on 15 catches. He's topped 50 yards just once in that span and finished below 25 yards in the other three games. He's touchdown-or-bust against a stout Broncos defense.

Now, check out where the real NFL teams stand going into Week 11...

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18 players to start or sit in fantasy football for Week 11

START: Tom Brady, QB

SIT: Carson Wentz, QB

START: Derek Carr, QB

SIT: Kyle Allen, QB

START: Tevin Coleman, RB

SIT: Phillip Lindsay, RB

START: Brian Hill, RB

SIT: Miles Sanders, RB

START: James White, RB

SIT: Adrian Peterson, RB

START: Curtis Samuel, WR

SIT: Juju Smith-Schuster, WR

START: Mohamed Sanu, WR

SIT: Robert Woods, WR

START: Marquise Brown, WR

SIT: Robby Anderson, WR

START: Jared Cook, TE

SIT: Kyle Rudolph, TE

Now, check out where the real NFL teams stand going into Week 11...

NFL POWER RANKINGS: Where every team stands heading into Week 11 >